Air Force general tapped as supreme allied commander of Europe

U.S. Air Force Gen. Tod D. Wolters, pictured here during a visit to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, in 2016, has been nominated to lead European Command and become NATO's supreme allied commander. (Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder/Air Force)

Wolters currently serves as the commander of U.S. Air Forces Europe and U.S. Air Forces Africa. In addition to the NATO position, Wolters will lead U.S. European Command.

Wolters is a 1982 graduate of the Air Force Academy. He began his career flying OV-10 light attack and observation aircraft before transitioning to become an F-15 pilot. He has also flown the F-22, T-38 and A-10.

The nomination requires confirmation from Congress, after which Wolters would replace the current EUCOM commander, Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti.

Scaparrotti recently testified before Congress regarding the threats and opportunities facing EUCOM in the coming years.

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The request has been made, but will the funding drop survive Congress?

By: Aaron Mehta

On top of these agenda items, the European Deterrence Initiative is facing a roughly 10 percent drop in funding in the Trump administration’s fiscal 2020 budget request.

The $5.9 billion that the initiative is still expected to receive will go to “increased U.S. military presence in Europe, additional exercises and training with allies and partners, enhanced prepositioning of U.S. equipment in Europe, improved infrastructure for greater readiness, and building allied and partner capacity,” according to a budget summary.

Most of the funding will go to the Army, although the Air Force is investing in significant military construction for Iceland and Poland.